Monaco cancels Chelsea’s late £47m Lamine Camara deal after Balogun medical complication

Chelsea target Lamine Camara (Picture: AFP) Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara has lifted the lid for the first time on his failed move to Chelsea on transfer deadline day. Having sanctioned Enzo Fernandez’s £120million move to Manchester City, Chelsea identified Camara as their replacement for the Argentina international. After failing with two offers earlier on deadline day, Chelsea finally reached an agreement with Monaco worth €55million (£47.1m) in the closing stages of the transfer window. Monaco had also agreed a £40m deal with Everton to sell Folarin Balogun but the Premier League club raised concerns during the striker’s medical which threatened to scupper the move. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. Everton eventually decided to push on with their deal to sign Balogun, which then prompted Monaco to pull out of their agreement with Chelsea over their deal for Camara. Balogun then opted not to join Everton due to their concerns during his medical, but with no time left in the window, Camara’s move to Chelsea was unable to be revived. Now speaking for the first time since the dramatic turn of events, Camara insisted he has tried to ‘turn the page’ and let his performances on the pitch do the talking. Camara saw a deadline day move to Chelsea collapse (Picture: Getty) ‘It’s true that it was a hectic moment, but as you know, that is part of being a professional footballer. I tried to be professional and not think too much about it,’ he told reporters. ‘Did I want to leave? That makes you think that I wasn’t living in the present with the team. ‘There was the possibility [of me joining Chelsea]. At the last minute, it didn’t happen […] if another chance [to leave for a big club] doesn’t come up, it is because I threw in the towel or didn’t work hard enough. Chelsea failed to land a replacement for Enzo Fernandez (Picture: Getty) ‘Football moves quickly and maybe other chances will come. For now, I am focused on what I can bring and on the season at Monaco.’ Seperately, Camara revealed he had confided in former Chelsea midfielder Denis Zakaria following the failed transfer move. ‘He is always there, always in his leadership role as a big brother,’ the Senegalese midfielder added. ‘He spoke to me a lot the day after about what happened with the transfer. They helped me a lot to focus on the match versus PSG. Denis has played at top clubs; he says that these things happen.’ Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso (Picture: Getty) Speaking shortly after the window closed, Camara’s agent, Former Premier League forward Diomansy Kamara, struck a less diplomatic tone about the failed move. ‘We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background,’ Kamara wrote on Instagram. ‘Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices. ‘A transfer shouldn’t just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there’s a man, a career, dreams and life choices. ‘The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player? ‘The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future. Let’s never forget what’s important: behind every success, it’s the players who write history first.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara was on the verge of a deadline day switch to Chelsea this summer only to see the rug pulled from beneath his feet and the move cancelled

Liverpool are reportedly keen on both Manu Kone and Lamine Camara (Picture: Getty) Liverpool are reportedly expressing a strong interest in Lamine Camara and Manu Kone after Chelsea pursued the two midfielders towards the end of the transfer window. As the summer deadline came into view, Chelsea turned to the transfer market and ramped up their efforts to tie down a top-class replacement for the Manchester City-bound Enzo Fernandez. A host of high-profile names were understood to be on the Blues’ shortlist of potential solutions, including Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott. But this wishlist was soon whittled down to just two and reports emanating out of Italy indicated the west London giants were on the verge of a total agreement for Roma and France star Kone, 25, on deadline day. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. However, throughout the summer, Roma made it clear they had been extremely reluctant to lose Kone given his central role in Gian Piero Gasperini’s plans for the new season. The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that Kone’s proposed switch to Stamford Bridge had been ‘very close’ to completion before Chelsea ‘pivoted’ to Monaco’s Camara. In a remarkable turn of events, Chelsea shook hands with Monaco over a £47million fee for Camara, only for the Ligue 1 outfit to renege on their agreement at the eleventh hour as they had not successfully renegotiated a deal to sell Folarin Balogun to Everton. Chelsea had been ‘very close’ to signing Kone before switching their focus to Camara (Picture: Getty) Camara saw a move to Stamford Bridge collapse on deadline day (Picture: Getty) It’s claimed Liverpool have also held a genuine interest in Camara, even before Curtis Jones departed Anfield to join Serie A champions Inter Milan this summer. Ornstein suggests a move from Liverpool for Camara down the line would likely hinge on Alexis Mac Allister’s future, with the Argentine out of contract on Merseyside in 2028. In the report, Ornstein states that Liverpool were also among the many clubs keeping tabs on Chelsea’s other deadline-day target Kone, along with Manchester United – who looked at the France international ‘very heavily’. Kone and Camara have three years remaining on their respective deals with Roma and Monaco. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page After Camara’s move to Chelsea broke down in spectacular fashion, the player’s agent took to social media to unleash a furious rant against Monaco’s treatment of the Senegal international. ‘The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us,’ Diomansy Kamara – former West Brom and Fulham striker – wrote on his Instagram page. ‘We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background. ‘Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page ‘A transfer shouldn’t just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there’s a man, a career, dreams and life choices. ‘The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player? ‘The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future. Liverpool got a £123m deal over the line for Barcola (Picture: Getty) ‘Let’s never forget what’s important: behind every success, it’s the players who write history first.’ While they were keeping tabs on developments surrounding both Camara and Kone, Liverpool’s hierarchy concentrated their efforts on wrapping up a deal for Bradley Barcola in the back-end of the transfer window. The Reds would go on to reach a £123m agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to land Barcola, making the two-time Champions League winner the club’s second most expensive signing in history – behind Alexander Isak. The Merseyside giants also completed permanent deals for Osasuna winger Victor Munoz and Genk goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans this summer, though the latter returned to the Belgian club for the remainder of the season. Ronald Araujo, meanwhile, joined on a temporary basis from Barcelona and Jeremy Jacquet officially became a Liverpool player after agreeing a move to Anfield back in February. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Thiago Scuro says Monaco’s decision to cancel their agreement with Chelsea is ‘part of the game’ (AS Monaco) AS Monaco’s CEO, Thiago Scuro, has explained the circumstances behind the club’s decision to cancel Lamine Camara’s transfer to Chelsea and believes Xabi Alonso’s side now risk missing out on signing the Senegal midfielder next year. After failing with two offers earlier on deadline day, Chelsea finally reached an agreement with Monaco worth €55 million (£47.1m) in the closing stages of the transfer window. Monaco had also agreed a £40m deal with Everton to sell Folarin Balogun but the Premier League club raised concerns during the striker’s medical which threatened to scupper the move. Everton eventually decided to push on with their deal to sign Balogun, which then prompted Monaco to pull out of their agreement with Chelsea over their deal for Camara. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Balogun then opted not to join Everton due to their concerns during his medical and the United States international will remain at Monaco for the time being. Chelsea are understood to have been furious with Monaco’s conduct but speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Scuro insisted that the club’s decision to U-turn on their transfer agreement with Camara is ‘part of the game’. Chelsea agreed a £47m deal to sign Lamine Camara (AMA/Getty) Scuro was also adamant that Camara, who has also attracted interest from Liverpool and Manchester United this summer, ‘will have better options and offers’ next year. ‘Our priority was to keep Lamine in the club, it’s going to be his third season, normally the cycle we do we try to protect our solid performers because the performances are strongly connected to the financial situation of the club as well,’ Scuro said. ‘Clearly, we were open to discussing a transfer for Balogun, he finished his third season, we were already working to replace him, we were fully ready to do this. Things went very well in this strategy until we were almost there. ‘To talk about Lamine, we have been approached by several clubs during the summer, the message has always been the same that our priority is that he stays, even yesterday morning after the training session we had a conversation with Lamine directly which was very okay and friendly, where he also showed the desire to stay, that he was happy at the club, adapted to this. ‘During the day, we had a clear agreement for Balogun to go to Everton. Balogun flew yesterday [Tuesday] morning to go for a medical and sign a contract. Our plan worked very, very well in terms of generation of revenue, squad plan, player’s transfer. ‘Balo going, besides of the salary, was also an important income to the club which would have helped us balance the season and then Lamine is staying. Folarin Balogun pulled the plug on his move to Everton (Getty) ‘This is what we had until mid-afternoon, what happened is Chelsea was always testing and trying, ‘what about Lamine, what about Lamine?’, I’ve been talking to them in the last 10 days. ‘Around 4pm yesterday, we got a contact from Chelsea, ‘we sold a player in this position, deal done, is there any possibility that Monaco is open to selling Lamine?’. The answer was the same, ‘no, it’s not’. At this moment, Balo was in Liverpool undergoing his medicals, everything was going pretty well. ‘Around 7pm, we were contacted by Everton raising questions about the medical of Balo, which for our medical staff, which for the personal medical staff of the player, there was totally no sense. The explanations were not enough to justify or to bring concerns about the future of the player, which there isn’t. ‘This discussion started between medical departments from here and there [Everton]. It took Everton around two, three hours to go deep in their assessment, check with other doctors, this is a normal situation when the doctor of the club raises concerns, it’s quite normal clubs will look for other specialists, sharing images and discussing the case, this was ongoing. ‘Meanwhile, as everything on the last day this was in the press quite quickly, I would say around half hour after we were contacted it was already in the media that Balogun had failed his medical. ‘Chelsea saw the opportunity, ‘okay, Monaco need money, Balogun is struggling there, let’s try’. This is the game, it’s fair to play this game, there’s no problem. ‘Chelsea came, called us, ‘maybe we can be here for the solution’, and in this moment we had to open the door for the discussion. This was almost 8pm, we started to open negotiations with Chelsea for Lamine, I informed the player directly myself, I called him, I informed his agent as we always do, very open. We had discussions between the conditions for Chelsea to go to Chelsea, at the same time the medical discussion was ongoing with Balo. ‘And what happened around 10pm Everton realised there was no problem, as soon as we got the information we came back to Chelsea and said, ‘we have our deal there [with Balogun], there is no deal on Lamine’, because it is also fair to do this, it is also part of the game. ‘There is no reason that these kind of discussions are dynamic on the last day of the transfer window which all of us decided on the last day to try to find solutions, with the clock ticking, that now this kind of interaction becomes the bad guy in the room, that Monaco are not fair, Monaco are not right, everybody is very fair and nice, just Monaco are not… too much. ‘So this is the story we’re telling. We informed everyone there was no deal with Chelsea. The Premier League has a mechanism which you can request one extra hour to finish the paperwork, this was done five minutes before their transfer window closed for us to finish the paperwork with Everton for Balogun. I signed the contract, Everton signed the contract, at the last moment the player decided not to sign. And basically, the allegation of Balogun is that, ‘I’m not feeling well by the way the club treated me, I’m not feeling well by the way the medical department of Everton brought doubts about my future or my health, I’m not comfortable to sign a long contract here’. And that’s the way we finished our transfer window. ‘We are very, very happy that Lamine stayed. He’s one of the most important players for us. ‘My intention here is, as always, work for AS Monaco, I don’t want to create war with Chelsea, I don’t want to create war with Everton. What I mentioned before is the facts, whatever different interpretations or judgements that people can have doesn’t belong to me here, it’s not my role to judge whatever someone did at another club. ‘On Lamine, I really respect and understand because the player might have got excited during the day yesterday by conversations with the coach, by everything that a club like Chelsea can propose and promise a player, at the end of the day he also asked us to try to find a solution for him to go, but we explained the reasons why we did it and now we’re going to keep respect and work with him, knowing his mentality and character, we can expect him at full power the next game and he’s going to keep building his career. ‘As many other players, better things will come in the future, this is not the end of the world, it’s just one possibility. With a player of his level and talent, I’m confident he will have better options and offers than the one he had yesterday.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Camara was all set to become a Chelsea player (Picture: Ben Roberts/Every Second Media/Shutterstock) Lamine Camara’s agent has blasted Monaco after his client’s proposed move to Chelsea collapsed in spectacular fashion late on deadline day. After signing off on Enzo Fernandez’s £120million move to Manchester City, Chelsea identified Camara as their replacement for the Argentina international and agreed a fee of £47million to bring him to Stamford Bridge. Monaco pulled the plug on the deal late on Tuesday night, however, infuriating Chelsea who felt everything had been agreed. The Camara deal was intertwined with the future of Monaco forward Folarin Balogun, who was on the brink of joining Everton late on Tuesday night. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Monaco needed a major sale and with the USA striker seemingly set for Merseyside, they told Camara he was going nowhere. Eventually, the deal for Balogun also fell through with the striker changing his mind after a medical at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground. Camara, regarded as one of the best midfielders in French football, had already completed his Chelsea medical and was preparing to fly to London when things collapsed. Former Premier League forward Diomansy Kamara represents Camara along with Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr, who failed to secure a late move to Liverpool. Camara was ready to fly to London (Picture: Alberto Gandolfo/BSR Agency/Getty Images) Kamara said Camara’s failed move to west London showed African players are ‘not shown respect’, insisting ‘the player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future.’ Kamara wrote on Instagram: ‘The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us. ‘We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background. ‘Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices. The collapse came after Chelsea agreed to sell Fernandez (Picture: Manchester City FC) ‘A transfer shouldn’t just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there’s a man, a career, dreams and life choices. ‘The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player? ‘The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future. ‘Let’s never forget what’s important: behind every success, it’s the players who write history first.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Lamine Camara’s move to Chelsea is off (Getty) Chelsea’s deal to sign Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara has been cancelled in the final hour of transfer deadline day. Earlier on Tuesday, Chelsea had a €45 million (£38.5m) bid for Camara rejected by Monaco, while their follow-up offer of €50m (£42.8m) was also turned down. Chelsea finally reached an agreement with Monaco worth €55m (£47.1m) as the Ligue 1 side need a sale and their £40m deal to offload Folarin Balogun to Everton hit a complication around two hours to go until the end of the Premier League transfer window. However, Monaco have now pulled out of their agreement with Chelsea as Balogun’s move to Everton is now going ahead following a renegotiation. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. According to talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs, Chelsea are furious with Monacoas the Ligue 1 side believe they can receive a €70m fee for Camara. Liverpool are also said to have contacted both Monaco and Camara that they will make their move next year. Lamine Camara had reached an agreement to join Chelsea (Getty) ‘For those who are unaware, Chelsea tried twice for Lamine Camara, €45m and €50m, but it was rejected. Why? Because Monaco felt in a strong position to keep the player because they thought Flo Balogun was off to Everton, and he still might be,’ Jacobs told talkSPORT. ‘Flash forward, Chelsea sell Enzo Fernandez [to Manchester City], late in the day there’s a question mark over Balogun, the French window closed earlier than this window so Monaco weren’t even able to bring in a replacement because Balogun is still being registered in their EU spots. ‘Then about two hours ago, Monaco get cold feet and say if there’s any doubt about Balogun we need to go to Chelsea and do this deal [for Camara] for €55m. By the way, two days ago they quoted Behdad Eghbali €70m, Chelsea say, ‘thanks very much, we’ve got a great deal here’, it’s formalised, we wait and see if it’s gone to a deal sheet. ‘Suddenly Monaco get double the cash for Lamine Camara and Flo Balogun but they couldn’t take the risk of Balogun getting done because they need money immediately. ‘Chelsea, even an hour ago, were formalising this move with complete confidence because from their perspective, Monaco were cashing in on both players. ‘My understanding is that Monaco still believe they can still get €70m and they want to keep the player now. ‘Chelsea view this as deeply unprofessional. Chelsea thought they were going to announce this evening on a six-year contract with a one-year option, the player was keen on the move. ‘Liverpool made a call this evening, and more than one I am told, to say the camp of Camara wait, and to say to Monaco wait, because Liverpool don’t want Lamine Camara now, Alexis MacAllister is still at the club, Liverpool said to Monaco, ‘wait’, Liverpool said to Camara, ‘wait’. ‘To be clear, so this is not taken out of context, we’re not saying Liverpool interfered in the deal relating to Chelsea, we are saying all day, Liverpool said to Monaco and Camara, ‘if you do not get your move, we will be back for you potentially in 2027’. ‘And that is a factor in this story because Monaco’s belief is that they can get €70m, they had to give a cut-price deal because at the point they agreed with Chelsea they needed the money, now Balogun is likely to Everton and the whole situation in a matter of minutes has changed.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source